Improvement in horse-checks



UNITED STATES PATENT FEICE.

` JOHN SUGDEN AND JAMES P. GAFFNEY, OF LAWRENCE, MASS.

` IMPROVEMENT 1N HORSE-CHECKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 159,529, dated February 9, 1875; application filed Ju1y 20, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN SUGDEN and JAMES P. GAFFNEY, both of Lawrence, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. have invented an Arrestable Horse- Check, of which the following is a specification:

The object of our invention is to furnish an arresta-ble horse-check for runaway horses, or horses'that may b ecoine unmanageable from any canse, which shall be simple in its construction, easy of application, and eft'ective for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

Our invention consists in a gear-wheel securely attached to a wheel of a vehicle, which, when the carriage is in motion, imparts inotion to -a second gear-Wheel, which is attached to a shaft or spindle suspended beneath the axle of a carriage. On this spindle is arranged a loose drum or reel, designed to wind a cord or strap connected with check-rein of harness or head of a horse, and so arranged with a shifting-lever that it can be attached and put in motion, or detached, at the pleasure of the driver, and as occasion may require, each in combination with the other, as hereinafter fully described.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2, A is the axle; L L, wheels; J, a gear-wheel, securely attached to the wheel L; I, a second gearwheel, which is securely attached to the shaft or spindle G, and is also geared to the Wheel J G, a shaft or spindle, suspended beneath the axle A by the drop-boxes H H; E, a loose drum or reel, which receives the cord or strap K, designed to be attached to the head of a horse. D is a shipping or shifting clutch, attached to the loose drum E; O, a shiftinglever attached to D. F is a clutch-flange, designed to receive the clutch-pins of the loose reel E when brought into use by the shiftinglever O. H H are hanging bearings, which suspend the shaft G from the axle A. M M are collars, designed to keep the shaft G in position. a a a a are set-screws, which hold the collars M M, the clutch-flange F to the shaft G, and the shifting-lever C to B.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the clutch-flange F, showing the slots designed to receive the pins of the reel E; and Fig. 4 shows an end view of the shifting-clutch D.

When the carriage is in motion, the gearwheels J and l, which are connected as above, are both revolved thereby; but the reel E, being loose on the shaft G, is n'ot revolved only as used for the purpose of checking a horse.

To use this invention, it is only necessary to apply the foot to the lever O, the reel E being thrown in gear thereby, the reel-clutch and clutch-pins being borne against the clutchflange F, and the pins into the slots in F, Fig. 3, which causes the reel E to revolve as the carriage is drawn, at the same time winding the cord K to any desired tension, the same being attached to the head of a horse, and by its continued and increasing strain stopping the horse.

We are aware that it is not new to attach a reel to a carriage, to be operated by gears and levers, for the purpose shown, as in the patent of one J. M. Whiting, dated March 29, 1867,

No. 63,344, and We make no claim thereto; but

we are not aware that in any previous invention a check was so arranged that it c ould be used o in the forward or backward movement of the carriage, orthat any device constructed as before shown was used for the purpose specified; therefore,

We claim as our invention- The combination of foot-lever O, clutchblock D, drum E, flange-head and pins F, hangers H H, shaft G, gears I and J, and wheel L, as and for the purpose specified.

JOHN SUGDEN. JAMES l?. GAFFN EY. Witnesses:

CEAS. D. MOORE, M. H. AMES. 

